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Minister finally acts on PKE import risks
Damien
O’CONNOR
Spokesperson for Primary Industries
Food Safety Spokesperson
12 June 2013
MEDIA STATEMENT
Minister finally acts on PKE
import risks
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy’s confession that import standards for palm kernel extract (PKE) need strengthening is well overdue, says Labour’s Primary Industries spokesperson Damien O’Connor.
“The Minister should now confess that our biosecurity system, that he administers, is vulnerable. He should also thank farmers for persisting with this issue.
“After concerns were expressed by farmers, officials from the Ministry of Primary Industries visited plants in Malaysia where PKE is produced for New Zealand feed supplement. Two areas for improvement were identified – rodent and bird contamination and import documentation that proves PKE is arriving only from approved plants.
“Our farmers were right-- there is a real need to upgrade protection.
“Who knows how many other imports are arriving at our borders that have not been subjected to adequate scrutiny.
“The Minister has a duty to uphold robust standards. He is failing, ” Damien O’Connor says.
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